Florence Shelly Preserve

A curiosity about science and dedication to conserving nature led to the establishment of our Florence Shelly Preserve.

The Florence Shelly Preserve boasts fields, woodlands, a stream and a glacial pond surrounded by a floating bog. The former owner of the property, Florence Shelly, spearheaded its protection by assembling a team of citizen naturalists and volunteer professors from SUNY Binghamton to take an inventory. They found a lot of biological diversity, including a rare red alga, and insectivorous sundew and pitcher plants. The Shelly family donated the land to The Nature Conservancy in the 1980s. Later, the purchase of nearby Plew's Swamp completed the preserve.

Threats

Over browsing by deer Pathogens such as hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer. Invasion by non-native invasive plants.

Milestones

The Shelley family donated the property to TNC in the early 1980s. TNC’s acquisition of nearby Plew's Swamp in the late 1990s completed the preserve.

HIGHLIGHTS

Size

380 acres

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The Florence Shelly Preserve can be accessed from parking lots & trailheads located off of Route 171 (at Stack Road intersection) and Little Ireland Road.

Guide sheets for the trail are available at the trailhead just off Stack Road. An easy access boardwalk begins near the parking lot on Little Ireland Road and meanders through the hemlock forest to a look-out over the marsh.

Support Pennsylvania Nature

Help TNC and partners sustain a vibrant future for the communities and wildlife that share Pennsylvania’s diverse landscape.

The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.